Windermere Professional Partners

Selling the Family Home After 30 Years? You Need an Agent Who Specializes in Estate Sales

May 14, 2021

When a family is selling a home that they’ve lived in and cherished for decades, it can be a tough process in so many different ways. Over the past few years, REALTOR® Regina Madiera-Gorden and REALTOR® Madison Lord of RM Home Specialists have helped a few different families settle out estates, and they have really refined their process for guiding their clients through this often challenging time. Selling an estate is so much more than “just” preparing and listing a home for sale—there is frequently much more to help the family navigate as everyone goes through a major life transition.

How to Begin the Selling Process

After Madison and Regina connected with the sellers over the phone, they scheduled an in-person walkthrough. Although this was a personal referral for Madison and Regina, they still competed for the listing. The sellers decided that Madison and Regina were the best agents for the job, and then they got to work right away. They had 3 months to get the home ready for listing day!

“This seller was looking to sell the family home and move into a retirement community, and estate sales can be very complicated and stressful for the sellers,” shares REALTOR® Madison Lord.

“It is a tough process to pack up a home that was lived in for 30 years,” she adds. “There are lots of special things and memories. Packing can be overwhelming for our elderly clients, so it was important to be delicate with this process and connect our seller with the right resources.”

Preparing this Gig Harbor Estate Home for Sale

After Madison and Regina toured the home and went over their concierge listing program with their sellers, their clients handed over their keys and let Madison and Regina work their magic. Estate sale or not, once Madison and Regina have your approval, they schedule all of their pre-listing recommendations so you don’t have to worry about doing it all yourself.

“For this property we arranged an estate sale, siding repair, landscaping, a dump removal service, fresh paint, professional cleaning, staging, and of course media!” says Madison. “All of this work helped us reach for top dollar in the market, and we also work with professionals who get paid out of escrow. So, there is little to no upfront cost to the seller.”

RM Home Specialists, Marketing Mavens

Regina and Madison are marketing experts, and as they prepared the home for listing day, they posted behind-the-scenes photos to build up anticipation among other REALTORS® who sell in the area. Once the home had necessary repairs done, was sparkling clean and professionally staged, they had professional photography done and a video tour created.

“We really highlighted the uniqueness of the property and lot,” adds Madison. “I mean look at that view AND beach access! Regina and I also include special feature cards in the home to showcase all of the intricacies and updates the property offers.”

“Social media and brand recognition is a huge benefit for our sellers,” shares Madison. Regina and Madison have a large following on Facebook and Instagram, and they do an incredible job of getting their listings the attention they deserve!

Sold For 17% Over Asking

On the first day this home was listed, they received offers. And even though they already had offers to present their sellers, they wanted the listing to “properly ventilate” it on the market so as many people as possible would have a chance to see it. After 4 days of the home being on the market, Regina and Madison ended up 7 offers to the seller. The home’s original list price was originally $1,295,000, and it sold for $1,515,000—17% over asking!

This is a beautiful piece of artwork that Regina and Madison had created for their clients!

How to Sell an Estate Home

In this video, REALTOR® Regina Madiera-Gorden of RM Home Specialists is interviewed by REALTOR® Marguerite Martin about selling an estate home. Regina knows the ins and outs of this process, and she is ready to help you and your family navigate all of the complications, challenges, and emotions of this process.


Do you have any questions about selling your home?

REALTOR® Regina Madiera-Gorden and REALTOR® Madison Lord of RM Home Specialists are happy to talk it through with you!


You can get in touch with REALTOR® Madison Lord at (253) 686-7383, [email protected], or via this contact form, and follow her on Instagram.

You can reach out to REALTOR® Regina Madiera-Gorden at (253) 381-6685, [email protected], or via this contact form, and follow her on Instagram.

Check out RM Home Specialists on Facebook and Instagram.